Bag stack holding and separating device

ABSTRACT

AN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING FLAT, FLEXIBLE ARTICLES FROM A SUPPLY OF SUCH ARTICLES. THE APPARATUS COMPRISES: MEANS FOR HOLDING THE FOREMOST ARTICLE IN PLACE, MEANS FOR ROTATING AN EDGE OF SAID ARTICLE OUTWARDLY FROM THE SUPPLY, MEANS FOR EFFECTING A POSITIVE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE FOREMOST AND NEXT SUCCESSIVE ARTICLE AND MEANS FOR HOLD ING THE NEXT SUCCESSIVE ARTICLE IN PLACE AS THE FOREMOST ARTICLE IS REMOVED. IN A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT THE MEANS FOR HOLDING THE BAGS IN PLACE COMPRISE A CIRCULAR OUTER PERIPHERY AND WILL BE ROTATABLY MOUNTED.

BEST VTLBL COPY May 23, 1972 D. R. HUDSON BAG STACK HOLDING AND SEPARATING DEVICE 5 Sheets-She@ l Filed NOV. 9, 1970 \Il| .l lill Il 1 Il.-

INVENTOR DOYLE R.HUDSON FIG.

ATTORNEY BEST VLBLE COPY May 23, 1972 D. R. HUDSON 3,664,659

BAG STACK HOLDING AND SEPAliA'l'ING DEVIFI Fzlcd Nov. i), 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR vDOYLER.HUDSON 3 ff' ATTORNEY May 23, 1972 BEST VILBLE COPY D. R. HUDSON 3,664,659

'A Sheets-Silent 15 FIG.4

INVENTOR DOYLE R. HUDSON ATTORNEY l'l'l BY United States Patent O F 3,664,659 BAG STACK HOLDING AND SEPARATING DEVICE Doyle R. Hudson, West Monroe, La., assignor to Olinkraft, Inc. Filed Nov. 9, 1970, Ser. No. 87,764 Int. Cl. B65h 3/32 U.S. Cl. 271-18 5 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for removing flat, flexible articles from a supply of such articles. The apparatus comprises: means for holding the foremost article in place; means for rotating an edge of said article outwardly from the supply; means for effecting a positive separation between the foremost and next successive article and means for holding the next successive article in place as the foremost article is removed. In a preferred embodiment the means for holding the bags in place comprise a circular outer periphery and will be rotatably mounted.

BACKGROUND This invention relates to an improved apparatus for removing bags and similar liat articles successively from a supply thereof. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved apparatus for removing bags and similar flat articles from such a supply thereof wherein a positive separation between successive bags is effected.

Heretofore, several machines have been proposed for removing a single bag or other llat article from a stack or hopper supply of such bags or articles. In general, these prior art machines combine a vacuum (suction) means and/or a mechanical means with holding pins or similar stationary retention means to effect removal of the foremost bag or similar flat article from the supply thereof. The prior art machines have not, however, been completely effective to remove only a single bag or article from such a supply. For example, when the prior art machines are employed with relatively large bags, even heavy multi-wall bags, the inherent flexibility of the structure often results in a by-p-assing of the retention means and permits more than a single bag to pass from the supply. Moreover, the prior art machines are not effective to remove a single bag from a flattened supply thereof when successive bags are secured together as the result of glue leakage around the seam or as the result of glue thrown into non-glue areas by the glue applicator of the bag making equipment. As a result of these shortcomings of the prior art machines, many bag filling operations continue to be performed manually.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OlF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for removing flat, flexible articles, such as bags, individually, from a supply thereof. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for removing ilat articles, individually, from a supply thereof having means operable to positively hold the next successive such article while at the same time permitting the leading or foremost such article to be removed from the supply. It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for removing llat, flexible articles, individually, from a supply thereof having means operable to effect a positive separation between the foremost and next successive such articles. These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the description hereinafter set forth and the accompanying drawings.

3,664,659 Patented May 23, 1972 ICB In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing, and other objects, are accomplished with an apparatus comprising: a hopper for holding a supply of flat, flexible articles, such as bags; means for rotating an edge of the leading or foremost article out of the plane containing said article and away from the hopper generally; means for holding the next successive article in place; means for separating the leading or foremost and next successive articles within the hopper; and means for removing the foremost article after the separation has been effected and while the next successive article is being held firmly in place. As will be apparent fromnthe description set forth hereinafter, a single means may be employed to accomplish both the positive separation between the foremost and next successive articles and to secure the next successive article firmly in place. In a preferred embodiment, however, separate means are employed to accomplish these functions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is an isometric view of an apparatus within the scope of the present invention with certain detail omitted and portions cut-away for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of an apparatus within the scope of the present invention with portions cut-away and certain, unnecessary, detail omitted for convenience and clarity;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken along line 3h-3 in FIG. 2 with portions cut-away for clarity and illustrating in phantom the means for removing the flat article at its most remote point of travel; and

FIG. 4 is a partial vertical section taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2 illustrating the manner in which the holding and securing means are mounted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OlF THE INVENTION (PREFERRED EMBODIMENT) In general, the apparatus of the present invention can be used to effectively remove any flat or substantially fiat flexible article individually and successively from a supply of such articles. Moreover, the supply of articles may be disposed in any orderly fashion. lFor example, the apparatus of the present invention would be operable to remove a flat, llexible article from a supply thereof, which supply is disposed such that each article extends vertically, horizontally, or at any angle therebetween. The apparatus of the present invention is, however, most useful in the removal of flat articles, the production of which involves one or more glue steps and where such articles may have been inadvertently secured to each other during the manufacture or packaging thereof. The apparatus of the present invention is, therefore, most useful in the removal of standard and multi-wall bags from a supply thereof, which supply is disposed such that each bag extends vertically or at least substantially vertically. For this reason, the present invention will be described and illustrated by reference to a preferred embodiment thereof wherein multi-wall bags disposed vertically are removed one by one from a hopper supply.

Referring then to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the apparatus of the present invention comprises: a supply storage means 1; means for securing the next successive bag lirmly in place 2 2; means 3 for effecting a positive separation between the foremost or leading bag 4 and the next successive bag S; means i6 for rotating an edge of the foremost bag outwardly from the plane containing the remaining portion of said bag and away from the supply of bags; and means 7 for removing the foremost bag from the hopper after the separation has been completed and the next succeeding bag is firmly held in position. A suitable drive means 8 and a supporting frame 9 9 are also provided.

As has previously been noted, the article supply may be disposed in any orderly fashion. As a result, essentially any storage means known in the prior art and suitable for storing fiat, flexible articles, could be adapted for use in the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, however, and as illustrated in the appended drawings, the supply storage will comprise opposed side walls 10 and 11 and a sloping bottom wall 12. As will be readily apparent, the opposed side walls may be adjustably mounted so as to facilitate the handling of different size articles. It will, of course, be appreciated that it will also be necessary to adjustably mount certain components of the drive means 8; the retention means 2-2 and the separating means 3 to accommodate the handling of different size articles. Such variable mountings are, however, well within the ordinary skill of the art and therefore will not be described in detail herein.

`In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in the figures, the opposed side walls 10 and 11 are supported vertically by support panels 13 and 14 which are secured to the back edges of said side walls and support panels 15 and 16 which are secured to the forward edges of said side walls. The supply storage means 1 is secured to the frame 9-9 on the one side with anchor plates 17-17, as can be seen in FIG. l. Any suitable means such as bolts 18-18 may be used to effect the mounting. Similarly, though only partially shown in FIG. 3, the supply storage means is secured on the opposite side to the frame 9-9 through anchor plate 19 and bolt 20. As can best be seen in FIG. 1, article feed means 21 are also provided as part of the supply storage means 1. The supply feed means 21 comprises means 23 for holding the articles in a vertical position and means 24 for driving the supply of articles forward as the lead articles are removed one by one. Such means are, of course, well known in the prior art.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in the figures, the means 2 2 for securely holding the next successive article in place comprise a plurality of holding means 25-25 and 26-26 mounted on conveyors such as endless chains 27 and 28 and extending outwardly therefrom. In a preferred embodiment, the holding means 25-25 and 26-26 will have a circular outer periphery and will be rotatably mounted such as on pins 29--29 and 30--30. It will, of course, be apparent that the rotatable mounting of holding means 25-25 and 26-26 though advantageous, is not essential to the present invention and that any means which will move freely between the foremost and next successive bag freely, ywithout forcing either of said bags to move with said means or otherwise defacing said bags, would be operable in the present invention. For example, pins fashioned from materials having low coefficients of friction and having their trailing edges or points in contact with the next successive article trailing the drive element would be operable.

yIt should be noted that the preferred configuration of holding means; i.e., a plurality of such means disposed on opposite sides of the supply storage means and mounted on an endless conveyor, though advantageous, is not essential to the present invention and that any combination or number of means which will effectively hold the foremost article and the next successive article while said articles are being separated is operable and within the scope of the present invention. For example, as few as two such means disposed on opposite sides of the supply means Would be operable, if properly positioned, especially where a cyclic rather than endless conveyor is employed. Moreover, the exact positioning of the holding means relative to the side edges of the foremost and next successive article is'not critical so long as the holding means is positioned inwardly from said edges a sufficient distance to insure a positive holding capability.

Further, the holding means may be extended inwardly from said edges any distance desired up to and even beyond the center of the articles being acted upon. yIt will, of course, be appreciated that when the holding means extend inwardly beyond the center it will be necessary to stagger said holding means on opposed sides so as to avoid interference of one with the other. At this point, it should be noted that when the holding means are extended inwardly a sufficient distance to enable said means to function also as a separating means, a separate separating means will not be required.

In general, the conveyor to which the holding means are secured will itself be secured to a suitable mounting support. Again, means for operatively mounting cyclic and continuous conveyors such as starwheels, portions of such wheels and endless chains are known in the prior art and need not be discussed in detail herein. Nonetheless, and for purposes of completeness, a suitable mounting and driving arrangement is illustrated in the appended drawings. As can best be seen in FIG. 2, chains 27 and 28 are carried by chain races 31 and 32, respectively, which races define the peripheral path of said chains, and said chains are driven by sprocket drives 33 and 34, respectively. Chain retention plates 35 and 36 are provided to prevent the chains from slipping from their respective races. As can also be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, chain races 31 and 32 are secured to support plates 16 and 15, respectively, with suitable securing means 37-37 and 37-37 and are separated from said plates by positioning block v38.

Essentially any means may be used to effect separation between the foremost and next succeeding article in the supply thereof. For example, and as has previously been noted, the holding means 25-25 and 26-26 may be suitably positioned so as to eect the necessary separation. Moreover, rigid wires, rods and similar devices, especially those fashioned from material having a low coefficient of friction, may be employed to effect the necessary separation. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, however, thin, rigid separating blades `39--39 will be carried by each of the conveyors 27 and 28. As can be seen in the figures, the separating blades 3939 extend continuously outwardly from the respective conveyors 27 and 28 such that their free end extends beyond the center line of the article being worked upon. As can also be seen in the lfigures, each of the separating blades 39-39 carries a rotatably mounted Wheel 40-40 to minimize friction during the separation step. In a most prefererd embodiment of the present invention, Wheels 40-40 will be identical with holding elements 25--25 and 26-26.

Any of the means known in the prior art for rotating an edge of a fiat, flexible article from a hopper supply of such articles may be adapted for use in the present invention and employed as the means 6 for accomplishing this objective. Vacuum or suction means are, however, considered most effective for this purpose, and hence, are preferred in the present invention. Accordingly, as can be seen in the attached gures, the means 6 for rotating an edge of the lead article outwardly comprises at least one and preferably at least two vacuum cups 41-41, which cups are pivotally mounted on support 42 through arms 43-43 and which cups are actuated back and forth in a pendulum-like motion by vacuum cylinder 44. As can best be seen in FIG. 3, the vacuum cylinder is itself pivotally attached to support 42 with pin 45. As will become apparent from the disclosure set forth hereinafter, the means 6 for rotating an edge of the foremost article outwardly cooperate with additional means to effect removal of the foremost article after a separation has been completed.

In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in the appended figures, the means for removing the foremost article after a separation has been completed comprise at least one and preferably at least two additional vacuum cups 46-46 which cooperate with previously described 'vacuum cups 41--41 to firmly grasp the foremost article both during the separation step and as said foremost article is being removed from the hopper. It will, of course, be appreciated that the vacuum employed will be sufficient to effectively prevent upward movement of the leading article during the separation step. The -vacuum cups 46-46, as well as vacuum cups 41-41, are fixedly attached to carriage 47 with securing members 48-48. The carriage 47 is, in turn, movably mounted on track 49 with a plurality of guides 50-50. The track 49 is, in turn, secured to the frame 9 9 with anchor plate 51. It will, of course, be appreciated that other means could be employed to render suction cups 41-41 and 46-46 movable to thereby effect removal of the foremost article from the hopper. For example, these vacuum cups could be pivotally mounted by attachment to a rotatable rod or arm.

Essentially any means such as a single motor in combination with either a series of chain and sprocket drives or belt and pulley drives or a line shaft equipped with a series of differential and clutch combinations could be used to drive the holding and separating means of the present invention. Similarly, pneumatic, mechanical and electrical means known in the prior art may be used to effect the requisite movement of the bag removal means 7. A motor in combination with the belt and pulley drives is, however, preferred since this conveniently facilitates variation in the oppositely disposed side walls 10 and 11. Such a drive is illustrated in the figures. As can then be seen in the figures, motor 52 drives sprocket 33 directly through a combination of pulleys 53-53 and belts 54-54. Similarly, though not clearly shown in the figures, sprocket 34 is driven by motor 52 through a combination of pulley and belt drives and a suitable gear train 55-55. Moreover, carriage 47 is moved inwardly and outwardly, pneumatically, with a cylinder acting on drive shaft 56, which shaft is connected to carriage 47 with securing means 57.

OPERATION In the operation of the apparatus of the present invention, the separation and removal cycle begins with the holding means 25--25 and 26-26 and the separating means 39--39 positioned substantially as shown in FIG. 2 and with the carriage 47 positioned substantially as shown in solid lines in FIG. 3. As can be seen in these figures, the foremost article 4 is held firmly in place along both edges thereof by the holding means designated generally as A. The separating means 39-39 have not, as yet, reached the edges of the foremost article 4. The carriage 47 is positioned such that vacuum cups 41-41 and 46-46 contact the foremost article 4 and the forward movement of said carriage has triggered sensing element or limit switch 58. Sensing element 58, which may function mechanically, pneumatically or electrically, in turn, activates the vacuum system to the vacuum cups through lines 59--59 and cylinder 44 through vacuum line 60. This, in turn, causes the foremost article 4 to be held securely by vacuum cups 41-41 and 46-46 and at the same time rotates the bottom edge of the foremost article 4 outwardly from the hopper supply so as to enable separating means 39-39 to move between the foremost and next successive bags. As the chains 27 and 28 continue to move in the direction shown by the arrows in FIG. 2 the separating means 39-39 move upwardly between the foremost and next successive bag and at the same time the holding means designated generally as B--B in FIG. 2 engage the outer edges of the next successive bag thereby holding said next successive bag securely in place as the separating means 39-39 move upwardly. This is, perhaps, best shown in FIG. 1. When the separating means 39-39 have moved upwardly to a point above the top of the foremost and next succeeding articles, the separation will be complete. At this point, the holding means designated generally as A in FIG. 2 have also moved above the foremost bag and would, at this point, occupy the position of the holding means previously designated as B-B. Similarly, the holding means previously designated as B-B, generally, will now occupy the position previously occupied by the holding means designated generally as A. As the separating means 39-39 move further upwardly contact is made with sensing means 61 which means may be the same as or different from sensing element 58. Sensing means 61, in turn, activates a pneumatic cylinder or similar drive means not shown, which drives carriage 47 to the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 3 through drive shaft 56. With the carriage 47 fully withdrawn from the hopper, sensing element 62, which element may be the same as or different from sensing element 58, activates means, not shown, to remove the leading article 4 from the bag removing means 7. When the removal has been completed other sensing means, not shown, cause the carriage 47 to be moved forward and into the position shown by solid lines in FIG. 2. With the carriage once again in this position, sensing element 58 is againl triggered and the entire cycle is repeated. It will, of course, be appreciated, that where continuous conveyors such as endless chains 27 and 28 are employed, the holding means 29-29 and 30-30 as well as the separating means 39-39 will have continued to move during the removal portion of the cycle and will return to the position illustrated in FIG. 2 at the beginning of the next successive cycle.

Although the present invention has been described by reference to various embodiments thereof and illustrated by reference to a particularly preferred embodiment thereof, it will be readily apparent that the present invention lends itself to various modifications which will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art. For this reason, reference should be made solely to the appended claims to determine the scope of the present invention.

Having thus described and illustrated the present invention, what is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for rapidly and positively removing fiat folded bags from a bag supply, comprising:

(a) a frame;

(b) means, associated with said frame, for storing a supply of the folded bags;

(c) means, associated with said frame, for grasping and rotating the lower edge of the foremost bag outwardly from the stored supply of the bags;

(d) means, associated with said frame, for completely releasing the foremost bag from the next successive bag and for holding the next successive bag in position, said releasing means passing completely between the foremost bag and the next successive bag during its travel and (e) means, associated with same frame, for removing said previously released foremost bag from the supply of bags.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for releasing and holding comprises at least one rotating conveyor having formed thereon a plurality of holding means and at least one separating blade.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for releasing and holding comprises two rotating conveyor chains, each chain having formed thereon a plurality of rotatably mounted holding rollers and at least one separating blade.

4. A-n apparatus for rapidly and positively removing, in sequence, a plurality of flat folded bags from a bag supply, comprising:

(a) a frame;

(b) means, associated with said frame, for storing a supply of the folded bags;

(c) first suction means, associated with said frame, for

grasping and rotating the lower edge of the foremost bag outwardly from the stored supply of the bags;

(d) co-nveyor means, associated with said frame, for completely releasing the foremost bag from the next successive bag While holding the next successive bag in position, said conveyor means having formed thereon a separating blade which passes completely between the foremost bag and the next successive bag during the travel of said conveyor, and

(e) second suction means, associated with said frame, for removing said previously released foremost bag from the supply of bags.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said conveyor means has formed thereon a plurality of rotatably mounted holding rollers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner 10 B. H. ST ONER, JR., Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 

